There are two things that make the Paris Olympics unique: huge crowds and iconic venues.

More than 550,000 people packed the Stade de France for rugby sevens, the Eiffel Tower drew a sold-out crowd for beach volleyball, around 30,000 walked the fairways for the final round of men’s golf at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines near Versailles and 8,000 attended each of the nine days of fencing competitions at the classic Grand Palais in the heart of the French capital.

2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games

The situation was no different at the historic La Concorde, where the USA won the bronze medal in women’s 3×3 basketball.

In normal times, the Place de la Concorde, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées, is one of the largest and most elegant squares in Europe, a 7-hectare space filled with magnificent statues and fountains that have inspired paintings by Degas and Seurat for centuries.

But its history is uneven: of the more than 1,000 people executed during the bloodiest period of the French Revolution, three were Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and Robespierre. Hence its post-revolutionary name, which roughly translates to Place de la Reconciliation. During World War II, German tanks paraded through the park.

It was redesigned for the Olympics, and temporary open-air arenas for 3×3 basketball, BMX freestyle, skateboarding and breaking were set up at the park’s centre, around the 3,300-year-old granite Obelisk of Luxor, a gift from Egypt to France in the 19th century.^pearl Century.

And every day, more than 25,000 people line up under the blazing Paris sun to get in, many holding only a $26 general admission pass. That won’t get them a seat in any arena, but it will let them listen to music, wait in line for food, watch the games on scoreboard-sized televisions or stand on tiptoe over rows of 10 to 12 people hoping to catch a glimpse of an Olympic athlete or two.

On Monday, the 4,700-seat, pillar-style arena set up for 3×3 basketball was packed to capacity again as the U.S. women defeated Canada 16-13 in the bronze medal game after suffering a crushing overtime defeat against Spain in the semifinals.

The U.S. took the lead on a free throw by the Sparks’ Dearica Hamby with 77 seconds left. Hamby said afterward that finishing third at the Olympics was more personally satisfying than winning the WNBA championship with Las Vegas two years ago.

“Obviously this means more,” he said. “To be at the top level of basketball, to be in the Olympics and represent the country. I wasn’t one of the best basketball players coming out of high school, so this means a lot to me.”

Under the watchful eye of International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach, the U.S. fell behind early. But after losing the first three pool games, the team spent the entire tournament trying to make up for it, and the bronze medal game was no different.

Three-on-three basketball games are played at half-court with a 12-second shot clock, last only 10 minutes, and field goals only count as one point, or two points if made from behind the 22-foot arc, making it difficult to come from behind.

But the USC slowly tried to close the gap, with TCU senior Hailey Van Lith scoring six points in the final two minutes with a field goal and a free throw. Van Lith tied the game at 12-12 with two minutes left.

Hamby, who leads the Sparks in points, rebounds and minutes per game this season, went to work, exchanging baskets with Canada’s Katherine Plouffe to tie the game and then hit the free throw that gave the U.S. the lead. That was followed by two defensive rebounds that allowed former WNBA player Cierra Burdick to finish the game with two free throws.

Hamby said the Olympics were especially sweet for her because she got to share the event with her 7-year-old daughter Amaya and 17-month-old son Legend.

“Someone came up to me and said she met my daughter and said, ‘she’s my mom, she’s my mom’ in everything I do,” Hamby said. “She’s been on this journey with me throughout my career. She’s seen the ups and downs of my mom’s life. So I’m grateful to have her here, yeah.”

Hamby, too, fed off the energy of the packed park and the small but noisy basketball court.

“The venue is probably the best,” he said. “The overall vibe is very young and fan-oriented. It’s more intimate, which I appreciate. I think it’s fun.”

In the semifinals, the United States faced early foul trouble, which proved costly when Sandra Ygueravide hit a free throw in overtime to give Spain an 18–16 victory. (In 3 x 3 basketball, teams must score two points to win in overtime.) With King Felipe VI of Spain watching, Ygueravide scored Spain’s final six points to finish with nine points.

Spain made six of seven free throws in the semifinals, while the United States only managed one point from the line.

In the women’s final, Germany beat Spain 17-16, while in the men’s final, the Netherlands beat hosts France 18-17 in extra time.

In the men’s category, Lithuania won the bronze medal by defeating Latvia 21-18 in the third place match.